Robin Bell

About

Dr. Robin E. Bell is a Lecturer in Earth and Sciences, Marine and Polar Geophysics, at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) within the Columbia Climate School, and holds the position of Marie Tharp Lamont Research Professor. She has been a member of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) for over 30 years, serving as AGU president from 2019 to 2020, and is a past president of the Cryosphere section. Bell received her undergraduate degree in geology from Middlebury College and her Ph.D. in geophysics from Columbia University in 1989. Since then, she has led research at LDEO on ice sheets, tectonics, rivers, and mid-ocean ridges, with a focus on understanding the dynamics of ice sheets and their interactions with subglacial geology. Her research includes directing programs in Antarctica and Greenland, developing technology to monitor planetary changes, and coordinating major aero-geophysical expeditions to study ice sheet collapse mechanisms. Bell has discovered a volcano beneath the West Antarctic ice sheet, large lakes beneath ice, and demonstrated that ice sheets can thicken from below. She led efforts to map the Hudson River and explored the Gamburtsev Mountains in Antarctica, uncovering water beneath ice sheets and studying ice sheet stability. Her work has contributed significantly to understanding ice sheet behavior, subglacial hydrology, and the impact of climate change on polar regions. Bell has received numerous honors, including an honorary degree from…

Research topics

• Oceanography
• Geology
• Geomorphology
• Climatology

Selected publications

• The Scientific Legacy of NASA’s Operation IceBridge

  Reviews of Geophysics · 2021 · 147 citations

  Abstract The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Operation IceBridge (OIB) was a 13‐year (2009–2021) airborne mission to survey land and sea ice across the Arctic, Antarctic, and Alaska. Here, we review OIB’s goals, instruments, campaigns, key scientific results, and implications for future investigations of the cryosphere. OIB’s primary goal was to use airborne laser altimetry to bridge the gap in fine‐resolution elevation measurements of ice from space between the conclusion…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• History, mass loss, structure, and dynamic behavior of the Antarctic Ice Sheet

  Science · 2020 · 71 citations

  1st authorCorresponding

  Antarctica contains most of Earth's fresh water stored in two large ice sheets. The more stable East Antarctic Ice Sheet is larger and older, rests on higher topography, and hides entire mountain ranges and ancient lakes. The less stable West Antarctic Ice Sheet is smaller and younger and was formed on what was once a shallow sea. Recent observations made with several independent satellite measurements demonstrate that several regions of Antarctica are losing mass, flowing faster, and retreating…

  DOI

• Antarctic Bedmap data: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) sharing of 60 years of ice bed, surface, and thickness data

  Earth system science data · 2023-07-17 · 49 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Abstract. One of the key components of this research has been the mapping of Antarctic bed topography and ice thickness parameters that are crucial for modelling ice flow and hence for predicting future ice loss and the ensuing sea level rise. Supported by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the Bedmap3 Action Group aims not only to produce new gridded maps of ice thickness and bed topography for the international scientific community, but also to standardize and make availabl…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Bedmap3 updated ice bed, surface and thickness gridded datasets for Antarctica

  Scientific Data · 2025-03-10 · 47 citations

  articleOpen access

  We present Bedmap3, the latest suite of gridded products describing surface elevation, ice-thickness and the seafloor and subglacial bed elevation of the Antarctic south of 60 °S. Bedmap3 incorporates and adds to all post-1950s datasets previously used for Bedmap2, including 84 new aero-geophysical surveys by 15 data providers, an additional 52 million data points and 1.9 million line-kilometres of measurement. These efforts have filled notable gaps including in major mountain ranges and the dee…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Antarctic Bedmap data: FAIR sharing of 60 years of ice bed, surface and thickness data

  2022-11-22 · 17 citations

  preprintOpen accessCorresponding

  Abstract. Over the past 60 years, scientists have strived to understand the past, present and future of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. One of the key components of this research has been the mapping of Antarctic bed topography and ice thickness parameters that are crucial for modelling ice flow and hence for predicting future ice loss and ensuing sea level rise. Supported by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), the Bedmap3 Action Group aims not only to produce new gridded maps of ice…

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Collaborative Research: IPY: GAMBIT: Gamburtsev Aerogeophysical Mapping of Bedrock and Ice Targets

  NSF · $2.3M · 2007–2014

• MRI-R2: Development of an Ice Imaging System for Monitoring Changing Ice Sheets Mounted on the NYANG LC-130

  NSF · $4.1M · 2010–2015

• Fire and Ice: Examining the Potential for Sampling a West Antarctic Sub-Ice Volcano

  NSF · $80k · 2005–2007

Frequent coauthors

• K. J. Tinto

  Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

  92 shared

• M. Studinger

  Goddard Space Flight Center

  80 shared

• D. D. Blankenship

  The University of Texas at Austin

  49 shared

• T. T. Creyts

  Columbia University

  46 shared

• Fausto Ferraccioli

  45 shared

• James R. Cochran

  Stony Brook University

  41 shared

• Carol A. Finn

  United States Geological Survey

  36 shared

• I. Das

  Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

  34 shared

Awards & honors

• AGU Fellow (2011)
• USGS Names Antarctic Ridge After R.E. Bell (2006)
• Middlebury College, Honorary Doctorate of Science (2006)
• Emma Willard School Young Alumnae Award (1996)
• Stroke Doherty Junior Scientist Award (1992)

Similar researchers at Columbia University

• Robert F. Andersonh-103
• O. Roger Andersonh-57
• Viviana Acquavivah-42